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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372059">The Protector</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneCarret6/pseuds/JaneCarret6'>JaneCarret6</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Osha deserved better, Rickon Stark Lives, Rickon deserved better, osha lives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:03:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372059</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneCarret6/pseuds/JaneCarret6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Osha never liked children. Annoying little things.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jon Snow &amp; Rickon Stark, Osha &amp; Bran Stark, Osha &amp; Rickon Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Protector</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't read the novels, I watched the series and I hated the way Osha died. She deserved more as the one who protected Bran and specially Rickon.<br/>I hated Rickon's death as well. I hated everything about their fates.<br/>I wrote this as consolation.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Osha never liked children. Annoying little things. They were fragil and needed to be taken cared of, a waste of time, she always thought as she watched mothers and fathers fuss around them.</p>
<p>The southerns were even worse with their children. Even when they were old, they keep pampering them. The children of the free folk were strong, when they were barely six year old they were thought to hunt at least a bear. </p>
<p>She had met really brave kids, little girls who kicked ass in their first battle with swords, little boys who defended their even smaller brothers.<br/>
She still disliked them. Always whining and crying, or being rebelious. A pain in the ass. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Stark boys where interesting children.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The oldest, Brandon, lord of Winterfell was a serious boy, but well, considering the kind of responsability he had at his very young age, she kind of understood his sour expression. Not to talk about his condition. He also had some kind of weird stare and more than once Osha felt a worrying fear when he talked about his dreams. The kid was not a regular kid. </p>
<p>The youngest, Rickon, was just a little boy, too young to understand why all of his family had suddenly left him, he was usually sad or bored, since he had no one to play with. Several times he had asked her to play with him. She had refused, telling him she was just a prisoner, she couldn't play with the little lord. Osha had expected him to cry and make drama like the moody little boy he was. But he only stared at her for a second and then ran away. He returned a few minutes latter, Shaggydog at his back as he smiled like the sun.</p>
<p>"Bran said you are free to play with me," he informed. She couldn't stop laughing as she picked him up to go play with Shaggydog. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thinking back, maybe it was that moment that made her start loving the Stark boys. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Soon after that, when Bran started trusting her and started to talk more about his dreams, when Rickon and her were almost achieving their biggest success, to make Shaggydog bring the stick instead of throwing it to the lake, the obnoxious Greyjoy boy arrived to Winterfell. </p>
<p>As soon as she saw him enter the castle, she knew she had to take care of the boys. She had to save them no matter what. </p>
<p>Her resolve only grew stronger as she heard Bran beg and sob, imploring Greyjoy mercy for the loyal old man whose name she didn't remember. Rickon clutching at her skirt while he cried silently, she put her hand in his curls and made sure he didn't watch. She couldn't do the same for Bran, and for that she felt like she failed him.</p>
<p>She didn't like children. She never wanted to have children. The free folk were less interested in children than the southerns, she noticed. The free folk didn't want to bring more bodies for the White Walkers to steal. But as she made sure the Stark boys were safe, Bran being carried by Hodor and Rickon by her side, she started wondering if maybe she could like these children. </p>
<p>When the time to part ways came, she felt like she failed again. She didn't want to leave Bran alone with those other children whom she didn't like nor trust. But Bran was a special boy, she always knew it. In her short time being his protector she noticed how stubborn he was. Nobody could make him change his mind, not even his little brother who cried to stay with him.</p>
<p>She made her way through the north with little Rickon and Shaggydog. They travelled a long way for a long time. Rickon stopped being sad and started being angry, with everyone, his siblings, his parents, the people who caused his family to leave.</p>
<p>Osha was tempted to pull his hair in a scolding way so he would stop whining like a seven year old (which he was) but she couldn't do it. She still remembered the only time she raised her voice at him for being careless while he played with Shaggydog, he almost started crying on the spot. She felt so guilty for days, she had to steal some candy to cheer him up. </p>
<p>She came to the conclusion that she prefered an angry Rickon than a sad Rickon. </p>
<p>But Rickon started being even sadder when they overheard some men talking about the death of Robb and Catelyn Stark. She had to hug him to sleep while he cried for his big brother and his mom. Osha always understood war and death. Where she came from, those were things you had to accept since a very young age. She have had to accept them. </p>
<p>She knew the child in her arms was an important piece in the twisted game the southerns were playing, and now that the King in the North had died, there was no place she could think about where he would be safe. Not even in the Umber house. She knew nothing about the houses of the north, but now that Robb Stark was dead, she was sure the north wasn't gonna be loyal, at least not all of them. She didn't know, and she wasn't gonna risk it. </p>
<p>Rickon didn't talk much about his family as time passed. They travelled without rest, never spending too much time in one place. There had been a few occasions some passing idiot searched for trouble. After all, a woman and a child traveling alone was dangerous, it's what he had said before Shaggydog tore his throat out. </p>
<p>Osha started to notice Rickon was growing, he was still skinny, they ate too little or nothing since she couldn't caught to much attention to steal in peace. But he was growing, next time she noticed he was almost her shoulder height. He was still a sweet child, more moody, like his brother Bran, whom she still remembered with some sort of defeat. But he was always eager to play with Shaggydog, he made no complain about the food and when she had to leave him alone to go searching for it he was always worried. Osha told him that if she didn't came back after one day, he had to run away as fast as he could. She would never tell them where he was no matter what kind of torture they tried to use. Rickon hugged her and told her he was more worried about her than about himself. </p>
<p>Osha loved the kid. </p>
<p>She never met Catelyn Stark, the mother of the Stark boys, but she had heard of her deep love for her children. She heard she released a war hostage of great importance to release her daughters. An idiotic move, she had thought, but now that she took care of one of his children she understood. </p>
<p>She would do really stupid and life threatening things if Rickon was in danger. If there was a small chance she could save him. </p>
<p>Shaggydog was huge, growing a lot faster than Rickon. He was a savage, she thought as he destroyed the large wood he was playing with. Rickon shouted at him while he laughed, telling him that the wood was useful, that they were going to use it for the bonfire. Shaggydog ran at him and put the pieces at his feet. Osha laughed at Rickon's outrage while he chased the wolf. She used to forgot that Shaggydog was a huge and dangerous wolf, she started thinking of him as a large dog. But the times they were in danger and he ripped off men's arms she remembered the direwolves in the north. Savages and dangerous. </p>
<p>Osha thought about going beyond the wall. There where people there who would help her. But it was risky, and she knew all of the fighting in the South was useless and ridiculous considering the great threath beyond the wall. She didn't want to run from an enemy towards a bigger enemy. </p>
<p>Osha used to tell Rickon stories about the Free Folk, their traditions, their way of living, their gods, he was always wide eyed and interested, telling her the stories he had heard about the wildlings. She had explained him how wrong some of those stories were, how much more complicated the situation was. She told him stories about the White Walkers. Rickon didn't believe her at first, but then she told him they were the reason she had fled from the North, Rickon gave a solemn nod and proclaimed that he believed her. </p>
<p>They heard a rumour in a tavern, Osha managed to earn some coins while they stayed in a rural zone so they were drinking some warm beverage. Osha had insisted after she saw Rickon shivering with cold in the chilly room they've been staying. </p>
<p>Some old man was telling about how the Night's Watch had let the wildlings pass the wall, how most of them were in the castle or in the abandoned villages. The man cursed at Jon Snow, new lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Rickon had jumped when he heard his brother's name, Osha was barely able to restrain him as they heard the old man swear against Jon Snow and the whole Night's Watch. </p>
<p>They made their way towards Castle Black, if the free folk where there, then the White Walkers were coming, the best thing would be to go South, but she knew they had nowhere to run. Rickon was eager to see his brother again. Osha tried to understand, but she couldn't, all of her family was dead, long dead. Her only family now was the little lord whom she had taken care of as best as she could. </p>
<p>Jon Snow didn't look like Rickon's brother. That was Osha's first thought as they entered castle black. His hair was dark, his face without any freckles, and the black clothes of the crows made Osha want to run, to hurt, to attack. Then Jon Snow hugged his brother in a fierce embrace and Osha was able to relaxe. The crow was teary eyed as he presented his brother to the other crows. </p>
<p>"Jon, this is Osha, she is a wildling and she's my protector," said Rickon as Jon came closer to her. Osha tensed despite Rickon's smile. She didn't trust crows as much as she didn't trust any lord of the south.</p>
<p>"You have brought my brother to me, you have protected him. I shall always be in your debt," said Jon Snow, Osha could only nod, "The free folk are gathered in nerby villages, there are some here too, you can stay wherever you want. Whatever you want and is in my power to give you, shall be yours." </p>
<p>Osha didn't have to think too long, she exchanged a look with Rickon, who was looking at her like she was going to dissapear. </p>
<p>"I want to stay with the little lord, I promised Bran I would take care of him and my job is not done. We both know the death is coming," Jon Snow nodded, and his eyes were the eyes of someone who had seen death on the face. He had seen them, he had fought against them. And she felt brave enough to join the fight. The rest of her people had done it. </p>
<p>"Very well," Jon smiled and looked at his brother. Rickon took her hand, smiling like the sun as she followed. </p>
<p>Osha knew she didn't have time to feel peace, the war hasn't even started, the little lord was in the middle of it and they all were in a great danger. </p>
<p>But as she took a glance at Shaggydog and saw him playing with an equally huge white wolf, the little lord at her side, talking to his brother about a story she had told him. The kind of peace she felt was one she hadn't felt in a long time.</p>
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